From supermassive black holes to super-tiny spider-senses: a first glimpse at this year’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, 1-6 July 2025
10 April 2025- Thirteen flagship exhibits announced for this year’s Summer Science Exhibition, the Royal Society’s annual celebration of cutting-edge science
- Meet world-leading researchers from universities and science institutions across the UK - and experience how science is helping us tackle global challenges
- Take part in a varied programme of free events for all ages and meet the minds behind groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs and discoveries
- A schools-only day will take place on Tuesday 1 July
- Adults-only Summer Science Lates returns on Tuesday 1 July from 6pm
- Doors open to the wider public on Wednesday 2 July at 10am
From 1-6 July, the Royal Society will swing open its doors for the annual Summer Science Exhibition, a week-long celebration of cutting-edge science from across the country.
Based in central London, this year’s Summer Science Exhibition will bring together 13 flagship exhibits from universities and science institutions across the UK to showcase their latest research with hands-on activities, talks and interactive exhibits.
This year, meet scientists at the heart of quantum research to discover how quantum technologies are transforming our futures, from helping us in our daily lives through the GPS in our phones to developing computers that can solve problems beyond the reach of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Come face-to-face with live spiders and walk in an elephant’s footsteps to uncover how vibrations help animals of every shape and size communicate and sense their environment. And get hands on with a new surgical sensation: a glove that has been designed to measure the smallest of forces to help train surgeons more precisely, affordably, and safely.
Cosmologist Carlos Frenk, Fellow of the Royal Society and Chair of the Public Engagement Committee, says:
“Science is vital in helping us understand the world we live in – its past, present and future. For over three decades, the Summer Science Exhibition has showcased extraordinary scientific achievements from across the UK and given visitors unparalleled access to the researchers behind these breakthroughs.
“From awe-inspiring images of our universe being captured by what’s soon to be the world’s largest radio telescope, to innovative new technologies helping to reduce plastic waste, there will be something new for every visitor of any age to discover. Come and be inspired by this unique exhibition, meet and question the exhibitors themselves.''
The event will kick off with an exclusive schools-only day on Tuesday 1 July, before the public are invited in at 6pm for an adult-only late-night opening. Public entry for all ages is from 10am Wednesday 2 July.
Discover the flagship exhibits
The algae revolution
British Phycological Society, The Scottish Association of Marine Science
Algae are hugely diverse, underappreciated and their broad potential is mostly untapped. Join researchers from the British Phycological Society as they grow algae in photobioreactors and demonstrate how algae and algal biotechnology could contribute to a more sustainable future, with seaweed-based packaging, biofuels, and even new sources of medicines.
Daphnia detectives: what's in our water?
University of Birmingham, University of Leicester
Water pollution is at concerning levels across much of the UK. Microscopic water fleas, called Daphnia, are a natural way of monitoring levels of pollution in our rivers, lakes and ponds. Researchers from the University of Birmingham are investigating how Daphnia can be used to test toxicity in rivers, reveal the impacts of microplastics in freshwater, and even remove some pollutants.
EntangleCam: quantum technology for healthcare
Imperial College London
Experience counterintuitive phenomena of quantum mechanics with EntangleCam. By creating entangled particles of light, researchers at Imperial College London have transformed a regular camera to allow it to image ‘invisible’ information hiding in the infrared. Put the camera to the test and learn how it’s being used for faster, more accurate cancer diagnoses.
Fighting superbugs
University of Southampton
Antimicrobial resistance is an ever-growing global health crisis, and there is a pressing need to find alternative treatments to reduce our reliance on antibiotics. Researchers from the University of Southampton are investigating how tiny bacteria-fighting viruses, called phages, could be the key to fighting resistant bacterial infections, and are enlisting members of the public to help hunt for them.
Focused energy: extraordinary ultrasound
University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde
Ultrasound waves, like those used in pregnancy scans, could transform healthcare. Meet researchers exploring the potential of using ultrasound for precise, non-invasive brain surgery and find out how it could treat disorders like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Test out the power of ultrasound for yourself by trying on a helmet that gives you the ultrasound-sensing abilities of a bat.
HappyMAT: bio-inspired materials
Imperial College London
Meet a team of researchers from Imperial, Cambridge and Bristol who are turning to nature for inspiration. Using biomaterials, they are developing more sustainable versions of batteries, skincare products, pigments and construction materials. Or, see how functional carbon materials could be made in the lab from biomass in water in just a few hours. This research aims to work in partnership with nature, using natural processes to guide the development of more sustainable technologies.
NanoGlow: lighting up a sustainable future
University of Bath and King’s College London
Can we use light to build a more sustainable world? The NanoGlow exhibit brings together physicists, chemists and engineers from across the UK who are harnessing energy from natural light to develop nano-scale materials that can turn water into hydrogen for fuel and break down pollutants.
Plastic alchemy
University of Surrey
Learn about the important sustainability work of the Surrey Circular Economy Group as they demonstrate how to innovatively reduce, reuse, and recycle our plastics. This includes exploring how to separate microplastics from wastewater and fashion them into useful nanomaterials as well as designing new products with recycled materials and creating resilient alternatives such as paper-based bottles.
Seismic senses: from spiders to elephants
University of Oxford
From the very large to the very small, how do other animals experience the world differently to humans? Meet the team at the University of Oxford - and their eight-legged friends - to explore how elephants and spiders use seismic vibrations to help them experience their environment. Discover how detecting vibrations generated by elephants in the African savannah can help their conservation, and how spiders’ unique sensitivity could inspire new robotic systems that use vibrations as an information source.
Nanotechnology and virtual reality for safer surgery
University College London
Smile powered pop music with PhotoSYNTH
Drake Music
You don’t need to be a musical genius to create a pop hit using PhotoSYNTH. Team up with friends and create this year’s song of the summer using only your facial expressions with this immersive musical instrument. Once you’ve tested your popstar powers, learn how advances in human-computer interfaces have allowed scientists to make this inclusive music-making tool and jam with a range of other accessible musical instruments.
The Quantum Zone
National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC)
The UK is at the forefront of the quantum revolution, leading the way in groundbreaking research and innovations that are set to transform industries and shape our future. In a special Quantum Zone, celebrating the UNESCO International Year of Quantum, join top researchers driving this transformation. Discover how cutting-edge research is turning quantum from theory into real-world impacts that are reshaping industries, solving global challenges, and revolutionising healthcare, navigation, and energy.
Unveiling the Universe: exploring the cosmos with the SKA Observatory
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
How the Universe around us came into being is one of many questions the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is trying to answer. Headquartered in the UK and spanning three continents, the SKAO's two vast radio telescopes will allow us to observe, in unprecedented detail, the supernovae of exploding stars, jets expelled from super massive blackholes and ripples in the fabric of space and time.